There are still spots remaining on this year’s annual Day of the Dead trip to Oaxaca, Mexico!  Join us from October 28th to November 5th, 2019 to experience one of the most renown Day of the Dead celebrations in the Americas.

Curious about what you might experience?  Here are some thoughts from a past participant, Catherine Suarez, a Spanish Instructor at Las Positas College in California who traveled with Global Exchange in 2014.

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21007_10155732792905613_5524048083122057307_nOur trip with Global Exchange to Oaxaca, Mexico was more than a typical educational opportunity. The participants were able to actively participate in many authentic aspects of everyday Oaxacan life associated with the preparation for the Days of the Dead. In addition, the group experienced social processes and was able to participate in meetings and workshops about sustainability, indigenous people’s human rights and the historical importance of corn in the Valley of Oaxaca.

Our group leader, Juan de Dios Gómez Ramírez, a Doctor of Sociology, provided us with much more than the basic information about the Valley of Oaxaca, its people and their social struggles. The level of information and the way in which it was delivered resembled a college-level course. I purchased a notebook in the Mexico City airport “in case I needed to take a few notes”. By the end of the study/travel program, I had completely filled the notebook with information that I cannot wait to incorporate into my lessons and future presentations.

We met with several authors and also attended a week-long Book Fair in the Zocalo where we were able to take part in workshops, presentations by authors from different states of Mexico, Cuba and South America, and search for rare and difficult-to-find books. For example, I have been researching Afro Caribbean Peoples, including Afro Cubans, Afro Puerto Ricans, Afro Dominicans and Afro Mexicans. I was able to purchase several books about Afro Cubans and Afro Mexicans at the fair. The Book Fair was dedicated to the memories of Mexican author José Agustín and Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez.

At around midnight on November 1st, while we were in the cemetery, one observer commented that he “will never view death the same way again.” I think that he spoke for many of the people in the cemetery that night. If I could edit his quote, I would add that our group will “never think about human rights and the importance of sustainability, especially corn, for the people of the state of Oaxaca the same way again.”

 

Since our founding three decades ago, we’ve been at the forefront of movements fighting for a world where economic, environmental, and social justice is a reality for all. International solidarity has been a key component of this struggle, and our Reality Tours Program has worked hard for 30 years to send thousands of delegations abroad in order to build understanding and unity across borders.

In celebration of our 30th year anniversary, we invite you to partake in this rich tradition of people-to-people exchanges and international solidarity by joining us in Oaxaca during the Day of the Dead or in Cuba to ring in the New Year! 

In Oaxaca, we’ll partake in the Day of the Dead Celebration, an event that commemorates departed souls and celebrates the resurrection of their spirits with seas of marigold flowers, elaborate sugar skulls, painted faces, colorful parades, live music and traditional dances. For some, the holiday is a chance not only to celebrate the dead but to demand justice for the living. In this spirit, we’ll meet with Indigenous leaders, professors, artists, and activists at the forefront of Oaxaca’s popular movements resisting state-sponsored repression.

And in Cuba, we’ll learn about the hopes and challenges that Cubans face during this incredible time of political transition, while celebrating the 60 year triumph of the Cuban revolution. We’ll visit several cities to experience different Cuban landscapes and communities while meeting with Cubans working in sectors ranging from health to education, the arts, and the budding private sector.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating 30 years of building a connected global civil society dedicated to a peaceful and just future for all!

Last year, Catherine Suarez traveled with Global Exchange on our annual Day of the Dead trip to Oaxaca, Mexico from October 29 to November 6, 2014. Catherine is a Spanish Instructor at Las Positas College in Livermore, California, and she has shared some of her thoughts with us here about her experience. This year’s trip will take place from October 28 to November 5, 2015.

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21007_10155732792905613_5524048083122057307_nOur trip with Global Exchange to Oaxaca, Mexico was more than a typical educational opportunity. The participants were able to actively participate in many authentic aspects of everyday Oaxacan life associated with the preparation for the Days of the Dead. In addition, the group experienced social processes and was able to participate in meetings and workshops about sustainability, indigenous people’s human rights and the historical importance of corn in the Valley of Oaxaca.

Our group leader, Juan de Dios Gómez Ramírez, a Doctor of Sociology, provided us with much more than the basic information about the Valley of Oaxaca, its people and their social struggles. The level of information and the way in which it was delivered resembled a college-level course. I purchased a notebook in the Mexico City airport “in case I needed to take a few notes”. By the end of the study/travel program, I had completely filled the notebook with information that I cannot wait to incorporate into my lessons and future presentations.

We met with several authors and also attended a week-long Book Fair in the Zocalo where we were able to take part in workshops, presentations by authors from different states of Mexico, Cuba and South America, and search for rare and difficult-to-find books. For example, I have been researching Afro Caribbean Peoples, including Afro Cubans, Afro Puerto Ricans, Afro Dominicans and Afro Mexicans. I was able to purchase several books about Afro Cubans and Afro Mexicans at the fair. The Book Fair was dedicated to the memories of Mexican author José Agustín and Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez.

At around midnight on November 1st, while we were in the cemetery, one observer commented that he “will never view death the same way again.” I think that he spoke for many of the people in the cemetery that night. If I could edit his quote, I would add that our group will “never think about human rights and the importance of sustainability, especially corn, for the people of the state of Oaxaca the same way again.”

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There are still spots remaining on this year’s Day of the Dead trip to Oaxaca, from October 28 – November 5, 2015! Space is limited, so don’t delay if you want to experience one of the most famous Day of the Dead celebrations in the Americas.

 

Catherine Suarez, a Spanish Instructor at Las Positas College in California, traveled with Global Exchange on our annual Day of the Dead trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. Here are some of her thoughts about her experience.

This year’s trip will take place from October 28 to November 5, 2019. There are still spots remaining, but space is limited! Please don’t delay if you want to experience one of the most renown Day of the Dead celebrations in the Americas.

_______________________________________________________________________________

21007_10155732792905613_5524048083122057307_nOur trip with Global Exchange to Oaxaca, Mexico was more than a typical educational opportunity. The participants were able to actively participate in many authentic aspects of everyday Oaxacan life associated with the preparation for the Days of the Dead. In addition, the group experienced social processes and was able to participate in meetings and workshops about sustainability, indigenous people’s human rights and the historical importance of corn in the Valley of Oaxaca.

Our group leader, Juan de Dios Gómez Ramírez, a Doctor of Sociology, provided us with much more than the basic information about the Valley of Oaxaca, its people and their social struggles. The level of information and the way in which it was delivered resembled a college-level course. I purchased a notebook in the Mexico City airport “in case I needed to take a few notes”. By the end of the study/travel program, I had completely filled the notebook with information that I cannot wait to incorporate into my lessons and future presentations.

We met with several authors and also attended a week-long Book Fair in the Zocalo where we were able to take part in workshops, presentations by authors from different states of Mexico, Cuba and South America, and search for rare and difficult-to-find books. For example, I have been researching Afro Caribbean Peoples, including Afro Cubans, Afro Puerto Ricans, Afro Dominicans and Afro Mexicans. I was able to purchase several books about Afro Cubans and Afro Mexicans at the fair. The Book Fair was dedicated to the memories of Mexican author José Agustín and Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez.

At around midnight on November 1st, while we were in the cemetery, one observer commented that he “will never view death the same way again.” I think that he spoke for many of the people in the cemetery that night. If I could edit his quote, I would add that our group will “never think about human rights and the importance of sustainability, especially corn, for the people of the state of Oaxaca the same way again.”